Photographer Acosta had impact on San Bernardino and The Sun

There are certain people in every newsroom who do more than work there.

They become the place. And in some rare cases, the place becomes them.

That’s how it was with Gabriel Acosta.

His unwavering commitment to journalism as public service, his unflagging determination to do the best work possible, his compassion and his craftsmanship: These things helped define The Sun’s newsroom, if not the institution itself, over the more than 20 years he worked here.

Put simply, Gabriel — Gabe to those who knew him — cared.

And he cared deeply.

Yes, he loved the newspaper. He loved what he did. He also loved the communities he covered.

He was an excellent photographer with a wonderful eye for capturing a moment, seizing and freezing an instant with the click of a shutter. Luck played no role here. It was not a factor of being in the right place at the right time. Gabe went to great lengths to ensure he was in that place at that time.

He was dedicated and determined in just that way.

While he excelled at all forms of photography, from sports to features to spot news, what stood out was his work in the city of San Bernardino.

As The Sun has covered the city’s struggles with crime and disintegrating finances these past few years, Gabe was always the go-to person to get the right photo.

That’s not just because he was a talented photojournalist. (And he was certainly that.) It was because he knew the place so well, and it was because he cared so much about it.

His work was focused always on the highest aspirations of journalism — to serve the public and through our work to help make the world around us a better place.

When Gabriel Luis Acosta died on Saturday, his wife and two children lost a husband and father, an honorable man who did good deeds.

The Sun lost one of its own, and our days will be darker without him.

And San Bernardino lost a friend, a supporter and an advocate.

He will be missed.

Dearly.

Frank Pine is supervising editor of The Sun and managing editor of the Los Angeles News Group.